I think Jim and I are pretty good travelers but man, oh man, our own bed sure felt good that first night we climbed into it! Well, and every night since then, too. Am I getting old? Resistant to change? Is the draw of comfort, family, friends, home, vegetables/good coffee/chocolate so powerful that it will create inertia? Possibly, but not likely.

As we prepare to leave for New Zealand, I sit here watching and listening to Tropical Storm Sandy. It was a full moon on Monday and with the storm surge, the water is very high with Atlantic ocean water splashing on our lawn. We were lucky not to have got the full brunt of this potential 'Frankenstorm' as the weather people called it. However, I must say it is such a delight sitting in my warm, cozy home with the woodstove on and the winds blowing and rain pelting outside.

The leaves were brilliantly coloured this year; now most of them are flying through the air or wet and soggy on the ground

. The grey weather of Nova Scotia normally gets me down especially at this time of year but not today. Having been in such dry and sunny weather for so long, I am actually enjoying this change and really appreciating the beauty of this landscape and weather. And I can't complain as we had multiple days of gorgeous sunny autumn weather for the first half of our visit here.

We have been home for almost two weeks nestled in the warmth of the love of our family and friends. Our time has been consumed with visiting family (Calvert and Rena and those who have come from afar), sorting out details of home and enhancing our baggage (what on earth does that mean?). Let me explain...in our last-minute haste back in August the day of our leaving, I wildly threw a bunch of things in my baggage that I discovered enroute I didn't need or use much. After living out of a backpack for a couple of months one knows what is unnecessary weight and what items are missing that would be more helpful. For instance, my tarot cards/book/leather bag/rock package is something that weighs a lot and I didn't use much so they are staying home. I can't believe I carried them, especially the rock, all through Ecuador and Peru! Although, I know some of you might not be surprised at this confession. Really, a rock!? It's a special one, though.

My goal is to reduce the weight of my baggage by 1/3 which I may come close to accomplishing

. Unfortunately, all the chocolate I have eaten since home has resulted in my body weight increasing by about the same amount I have ditched from my baggage. So now I have a second layer of 'weight loss' with which to contend. It never ends...

Jim, on the other hand, has bought and returned many items, mostly from MEC this past couple of weeks. With exacting discernment, he evaluates every item for size, pack-ability, weight and potential use. No emotional attachments to anything except perhaps his camera gear. And his baggage wasn't very heavy to begin with even with the camera gear!

So tomorrow we leap onto another airplane heading west - weather permitting. A few hours in LA, an overnight in our old stomping grounds of Fiji, and Christchurch here we come! Leg 2 is about to begin…

By the way, thanks for all your feedback. Keep it coming; we want this blog to be readable and enjoyable for you. And happy Hallowe'en!

Hi Donna, Your stories have been so lively and captivating and the photos you and Jim have shared bring your experience to life. Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with your friends! Travel well, my friend, with the angel of safety surrounding you both. You'll need to share your travel tips on how to travel light when you return!